Featured Newsletter 30 May 2023 TBR Weekly Update: Week 4, May 2023 The Yoon Suk-yeol administration raided the home and office of a MBC News journalist who embarrassed the president. Also: why are South Korean nurses protesting?
Featured Media 30 May 2023 Conservatives Attack News Portal Sites Conservatives’ complaints about the portal sites' anti-competitive behavior are a fig leaf covering nakedly partisan aims.
Featured Blue House 27 May 2023 Presidential Office Tells Story of an American Pie A valiant attempt of propaganda by the Yoon administration.
Featured Liberals 26 May 2023 Ron DeSantis Meets Kim Dong-yeon Gyeonggi-do Province governor has been meeting with an unusual number of foreign dignitaries.
Featured Starter Kit 25 May 2023 Starter Kit: The All-Important Party Slate A primer on a political party's most important function.
Featured Business & Economy 24 May 2023 Massive Stock Pump-and-Dump Scheme Alleged, Featuring Energy Companies and K-pop Stars Shares of eight companies fell off a cliff as soon as the criminal investigation began.
Featured Newsletter 22 May 2023 TBR Weekly Update: Week 3, May 2023 Nationwide protests against the Yoon Suk-yeol administration intensified, peaking with a nurses’ strike. Also: Korean adoptees return home to confront the legacy of international baby-selling.
Featured Media 22 May 2023 South Korea Falls in Press Freedom Rankings The fall comes in Yoon Suk-yeol's first year of presidency.
Featured Media 20 May 2023 Yoon Suk-yeol’s Crab Cake is not at all Like Moon Jae-in’s Crab Cake, Says Chosun Ilbo. When is a hidden insult not an insult at all?
Featured Elections 19 May 2023 Red-shift and Blue-shift of Seoul Metro Area Seoul turns red, Gyeonggi-do turns blue.
Featured Blue House 18 May 2023 From Washington, Yoon Suk-yeol Returns Empty-Handed Long on pomp and pageantry, short on substance.
Featured Business & Economy 17 May 2023 South Korea Defeats US in Washing Machine Trade Dispute World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Body invalidated the Donald Trump era trade barrier.
Featured Newsletter 15 May 2023 TBR Weekly Update: Week 2, May 2023 South Korea declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also: a look at the emerging third-party bids in the 2024 Assembly Elections.
Featured Blue House 15 May 2023 "Double Special Prosecution" Against the First Lady, Conservatives on the Legislative "Fast Track" Special prosecution investigation will likely occur in the run-up to the 2024 Assembly Election.
Featured Business & Economy 12 May 2023 Low Birth Rate, Fewer Weddings, but Bigger Profits? Kidswear and wedding continue doing brisk business in a symptom and cause of South Korea's low birth rate.
Featured Foreign Policy 11 May 2023 South Korea's Moment of Choice on Ukraine To supply or not supply weapons?
Featured Business & Economy 10 May 2023 The Coming Financial Crisis of Failed Jeonse Rents More than 232k housing units are at risk of wiping out their tenants' life savings.
Featured Newsletter 8 May 2023 TBR Weekly Update: Week 1, May 2023 Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio visited Seoul, while President Yoon Suk-yeol had a muted celebration of his first year in office. Also: an introduction to slate-setting, the most important function of a South Korean political party.
Featured Foreign Policy 8 May 2023 Yoon Suk-yeol Practices His English The beleaguered president is attempting to build an image of class and sophistication.
Featured Society 5 May 2023 South Korean Youth are More Depressed, Drink More: Data Students are reporting worse mental health and drinking issues.
Featured Conservatives 4 May 2023 People Power Party Stumbles as the Assembly Election Looms The new leadership cannot get out of its own way while far-right figures out overtaking the party.
Featured Business & Economy 3 May 2023 Qualcomm Hit with Record Fine for Anticompetitive Behavior Smartphone chipmaker was hit with KRW 1.03t in fines.
Featured Newsletter 1 May 2023 TBR Weekly Update: Week 4, April 2023 Yoon Suk-yeol made a state visit to the United States, while the liberal opposition set a special prosecution investigation in motion.
Featured Blue House 1 May 2023 The “Real” Reason for Yoon Suk-yeol’s Blue House Move Far-right conspiracy theory justifies a "good wiretapping" by the United States.
Featured Conservatives 28 April 2023 Justice Minister Has No Hair Rising conservative star Han Dong-hun lately became an object of mockery.
Featured History 27 April 2023 Syngman Rhee, Mass Murderer Conservatives attempt to elevate South Korea's first president glosses over the fact that he was more akin to Pol Pot.
Featured Elections 26 April 2023 Democratic Party Leads Early in the 2024 Assembly Election The liberal opposition leads in every region except pockets of conservative strongholds.
Featured Newsletter 24 April 2023 TBR Weekly Update: Week 3, April 2023 Yoon Suk-yeol suggested supplying weapons to Ukraine in advance of his state visit to Washington DC - for which the president is brushing up on his English.
Featured Business & Economy 24 April 2023 Samsung Electronics Sees Earnings Crash, Slashes Chip Production Samsung Electronics’ quarterly profit is the lowest since Q1 2009, in the midst of the global financial crisis.
Featured History 22 April 2023 Grandson of Chun Doo-hwan Visits Gwangju for Atonement Chun U-won became the first member of the dictator Chun Doo-hwan’s family to visit Gwangju to apologize for the mass murder.
Featured Business & Economy 21 April 2023 US Demands for Semiconductor Secret Puts South Korean Makers Into a Difficult Spot Chips manufacturers must disclose sensitive technological data to qualify for CHIPS Act subsidy.
Featured Blue House 20 April 2023 National Security Advisor’s Resignation is a Sign of Turmoil for Yoon Administration’s Diplomacy Expect more unpredictable amateurism as veteran diplomats exit the presidential office.
Featured Conservatives 19 April 2023 Coup-plotting General Returns to South Korea After Five Years on the Run The ruling People Power Party had been attempting to whitewash the coup attempt.
Featured Newsletter 17 April 2023 TBR Weekly Update: Week 2, April 2023 The US wiretap scandal continued to hamstring the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. One year out from the 2024 Assembly Election, the People Power Party’s new leadership is off to a poor start.
Featured Japan 17 April 2023 Japan Announces New History Textbooks Denying Forced Labor Textbooks also removed references to the 1923 Kanto Massacre that killed 6k Koreans.
Featured Conservatives 15 April 2023 Former Prosecutor in Roh Moo-hyun Investigation Brags About His Intimidation Tactics Lee In-gyu's proud description of issuing threats and intimidation is even more problematic than his characterization of Roh's investigation.
Featured Climate Change 14 April 2023 Yoon Administration's Irresponsible Climate Plan The plan does little for carbon reduction while simply kicking the can to the next administration.
Featured Courts 13 April 2023 Constitutional Court Upholds Prosecution Reform in a Defeat for the Yoon Administration Reckless challenge by Yoon's Justice Ministry made its legal argument even weaker.
Featured Liberals 12 April 2023 Indictment Against Lee Jae-myung Makes No Reference to Any Money Paid to Lee Prosecutors instead allege Lee gained "political benefit" by being able to keep his campaign promises.
Featured Newsletter 10 April 2023 TBR Weekly Update: Week 1, April 2023 By-elections spell trouble for Yoon Suk-yeol and his People Power Party. Also: remembering Syngman Rhee’s mass murder.
Featured Society 10 April 2023 Most Korean Workers Cannot Fully Use Their Vacation Time: Data Workers in a weaker position within their workplace could barely take six days off a year.
Featured Media 8 April 2023 SBS Journalist Edited “Ladies” from Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar Speech Kim Gwang-hyeon was previously reprimanded for inserting an alt-right meme into his news footage.
Featured Liberals 7 April 2023 Grave of Lee Jae-myung’s Parents Desecrated in an Apparent Shamanistic Attack The vandalism was discovered in late February.
Featured Key Players 6 April 2023 Kim Tae-hyo: the No-Holds-Barred Ideologue Behind Yoon Administration’s Foreign Policy The fast-rising conservative intellectual in international affairs has shown a dangerous tendency to cut corners.
Featured Blue House 5 April 2023 Presidential Secretary of Protocol Quits Just Before a Critical Stretch of Diplomacy Kim Il-beom resigned just before Yoon Suk-yeol's visits to Tokyo and Washington.
Featured Newsletter 3 April 2023 TBR Weekly Update: Week 5, March 2023 National Security Advisor Kim Seong-han resigned, apparently because of a K-pop concert. The grandson of Chun Doo-hwan visited Gwangju to ask for forgiveness.
Featured Business & Economy 3 April 2023 South Korea's Current Account Deficit Hits Record Massive deficit in export is depleting South Korea's balance.
Featured Blue House 1 April 2023 One Year in, Yoon Suk-yeol Doesn’t Show Up to Work on Time, Doesn’t Read Yoon was late 14 out of 16 days he reported to the office, and purchased zero books in his first year.
Featured Bureaucracy 31 March 2023 Sharp Increase in Suicides During Prosecutorial Investigation: Data Most of the increase came from white collar professionals accused of bribery or embezzlement.
Featured Japan 30 March 2023 Seoul’s Capitulation in the Slave Labor Deal Repeats the Failure of 2015 Seoul's capitulation to unrepentant Tokyo ignores the victims' wishes as the US prematurely celebrates the deal.
